Florida’s hard-line governor approved five new laws

#Florida’s hard-line #Republican governor approved five new laws targeting the #queercommunity, including a ban on gender-affirming care, restrictions on #trans people using toilets, and #dragshowbans.
These newly implemented restrictions come amid an already-hostile environment for queer people in the state thanks to #DeSantis’ war against what he sees as “woke ideology”.
He signed House Bill 1438, restricting drag shows, House Bill 1069, which expands the state’s #DontSayGaylaw, Senate Bill 254, banning gender-affirming care, House Bill 1521, to restrict the rights of trans people to use public toilets, and House Bill 225, which restricts trans people’s access to youth sports programmes.
Two days earlier, the governor – and possible presidential candidate – signed Senate Bill 266 into law, restricting equity initiatives from the Florida education system, which pulled funding from diversity, equality and inclusion programmes at public universities in the state.Show more

He said that the new legislation would make Florida a “refuge of sanity”, seemingly referring to laws in some other US states, which have declared themselves safe havens for #LGBTQ+ people fleeing places such as Florida.
“We need to let our kids just be kids,” he told reporters, after signing the bills. “What we’ve said in Florida is we are going to remain a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.”

DeSantis’ continued attacks on LGBTQ+ people have been shamed by human rights groups and progressive politicians.
#HumanRightsCampaign (HRC) president, Kelley Robinson, said “extremist” Republicans passing these bills in Florida are some of the “most anti-LGBTQ+ politicians in America.”
She added: “DeSantis has made [it] clear that demonising LGBTQ+ people will be [at] the centre of his legislative agenda and presidential run.

In association with several legal teams, the HRC will look to block SB 254 because of the potential damage restricting #genderaffirmingcare could do to trans children. #rondesantis #translivesmatter🏳️‍⚧️ #transrightsarehumanrights #queernews #uspolitics